Entries by Chris Bridges

The 2018 statewide election for Georgia is now officially over (thank goodness).
As expected, Republicans continue to hold every statewide office although each race was technically close as Democrats try to inch closer to breaking the red stranglehold on state politics.
Georgia, like our country as a whole, remains politically divided and it seems that will only continue and may actually get worse before things get better.
As a lifelong resident of this state as well as a taxpayer, property owner and someone who wants Georgia to thrive in all ways, I decided to compile a list of things which I would like to see happen in the next four years. There is always hope I suppose but in reality, I am not holding my breath.
•A complete overhaul of our tax system is needed immediately. It’s simple really. Eliminate the state income tax and go with a consumption type sales tax. Allowing Georgians to keep more of the money they earn will do nothing but boost the economy. Other states have gone this route but have you noticed it is never even discussed here. Republicans claim to be against taxes so it is time to back up that claim. (Those of us who reside in the land of reality know Republicans are no more against taxes than Democrats.)
•Care for veterans continues to be an issue for our state and country. Hopefully Gov.-elect Brian Kemp will make this one of his priorities during the next four years. It’s not just more and better medical care that is needed for our veterans. Mental health assistance is desperately needed as many suffer from PTSD. Often it goes untreated for years, leading to a multitude of issues for the veterans themselves, their family members and the people they know. It is outright criminal that anyone who has served this country has to struggle for the care they need and deserve.
•There is certainly nothing wrong with trying to attract large companies to our state. Georgia has a diverse population and despite what some politicians try to convince us, more jobs are always needed. Good-paying jobs are certainly needed for our state. However, why do officials insist on giving companies such sweetheart deals and tax breaks before they even arrive in the state? A better route would be to give businesses already here tax incentives for what they have already contributed to our state’s economy and work force. Smaller businesses certainly need more incentives in the tax department.
•Our secretary of state office needs to become a nonpartisan one immediately. While there are many duties Georgia’s secretary of state performs, overseeing elections is a huge part of this office. Even for appearance’s sake, the person in this position does not need to be associated with a political party. And if the current occupier of the secretary of state’s office decides to run for another office, they should have to resign immediately. This should really be common sense when it comes to having fair and open elections. Also on the voting front, the state needs to return to a form of voting in which a paper trail is present in terms of counting election results. The out-of-date voting machines in use since the early 2000s have never been proven to be effective. It also has been proven (multiple times) that they can be hacked into. Georgians were handed a fake bill of goods with the voting machines and as close and contested as some races have been since they have been used, it is time to send them on a one-way trip to the landfill.
•Continuing on the political front, a revamping of our state’s ballot access laws is also needed. I have never understood why there are some who think having more choices is a bad thing. We want multiple choices when we buy a car, buy a house or buy groceries. Why should we not want several choices when we vote in general elections? When Brian Kemp was running for secretary of state, he talked of making it easier for third parties to gain ballot access. As it turned out, he fought third parties and independent candidates at every turn. This is another reason the secretary of state’s office needs to be a non-partisan one. Other states are light years ahead of Georgia in this area and it is going to take a lot of work for us to catch up. However, Republicans and Democrats in our state don’t want voters to have more choices for fear it would end their power. It’s as simple as that and no amount of political speak or spin make it any different.
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Winder resident Chris Bridges is a former editor of the Barrow News-Journal and has earned awards for column writing from the Georgia Press Association, the Georgia Sports Writers Association and the National Newspaper Association. He welcomes about this column at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.

When I was a full-time newspaper editor, I always gave simple advice to those who wrote columns: “Write about what you know and write about what you enjoy doing.”
One of the toughest things about column writing is often coming up with an idea. That’s the case with me. If I have an idea for a column, then I have always believed half the battle was over. The remaining part was simply trying to piece something together that someone (anyone) might want to read.
When you have written columns as long as I have (going back to the early 1990s) the idea well does run a little low from time to time. Like most aspects of the newspaper business, once I have completed a column there is a sense of relief and accomplishment. Not long after that, however, a bell starts ringing that serves as a reminder that it is time to start formulating a new idea.
In 2008, it became twice as tough to formulate ideas because I wrote a weekly news and weekly sports column. The sports columns as are not as difficult because a sports writer can always write about what is transpiring currently, whether on the field or the court or even behind the scenes.
News columns are typically tougher. In following my own advice, I have written numerous times about my years growing up in small town America and how that helped shape me into the person (and writer) I am today. I’ve written about the decade of the 1980s and how I consider that time special and to be my formative years.
I’ve written about politics and more specifically political campaigns. My love of politics is actually rooted in the actual race for a particular office. Most politicians don’t do what they promise while campaigning anyway so most of the time I lose interest after we vote.
Like all of us I do have my political opinions, but to be honest the political climate is so vile and ugly now it has caused me to stop watching the news at night. The idea of objective news coverage has been destroyed by the cable television programs which use opinioned talk show hosts to shape people’s opinions. Unfortunately, many people are nothing more than sheep and follow along with whatever is said that goes in step with their political leanings.
One of my favorite topics to write about through the years has been family. I have always known I have been blessed with a supportive family which starts but certainly does not end with my parents. I had the positive influence of all four grandparents for the first 18 years of my life and that influence continued even longer by some of them.
In addition, I have benefited from the positive examples set by aunts, uncles, great aunts, great uncles and even from my younger sibling. With that many positive influences around me, there is really no excuse for me not to do well in my life.
Friendship is also something I have written about through the years, mainly because I value it so much. Two of my closest friends in the year 2018 have been so since we were kids and that has been quite a length of time now. I am proud of that, though. Friendship is not an easy thing to continue through the years. We move apart and while it is certainly easier to keep in touch these days the human nature part of us all causes us to neglect friendship, especially long-distance ones.
Friendship also cannot work as a one-way street. One person cannot make a friendship work. That is also something I am proud of when it comes to my close friends. While I always make it an effort to be there for them, they also do the same for me and that is a beneficial thing as we travel down the road of life which will always be filled with bumps and potholes.
Pets have also been a multi-time topic in my columns. Growing up with pets I continued that tradition once I started living on my own. They do become like children as you’ve heard people say. The only down part of having pets is knowing that one day we will have to say goodbye to them. That part never gets easier.
Ocean scenes, the mountains, a clear, sunny day and sitting at a local state park have also been the inspiration for columns I’ve typed. I’ve written about it raining too much (several times) and I once wrote a three-part column about my days as a newspaper intern while in college. It’s still hard to believe that was so long ago.
Good writing simply needs something to inspire the person behind the keyboard. Some columns write themselves almost. Some take more effort but each writer hopes they connect with at least one reader.
That is my goal each time I sit down to start this process again. And if you ever have any good ideas then feel free to pass them along to me.
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Winder resident Chris Bridges is a former editor of the Barrow News-Journal and has earned awards for column writing from the Georgia Press Association, the Georgia Sports Writers Association and the National Newspaper Association. He welcomes feedback from readers at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.

It’s a funny to thing to watch at times the things that people do together as a family.
Last Thursday (Thanksgiving) was a hectic day for the place I currently work on a full-time basis. I won’t name the business here but anyone reading this knows its name and knows how it takes part in the so-called “Black Friday” sales.
The first part of my day at work (which began at 1 p.m.) was somewhat calm and even less hectic than usual. However, all of us knew it was simply the calm before the approaching storm of customers.
The store had to be rearranged and numerous holiday specials were put on display. Most of us at work that day performed duties out of our usual routine. It meant a chance to interact more with customers who were looking to burn off some of the Thanksgiving food they had eaten.
While shopping events like this are often painted as chaotic and filled with mega amounts of craziness, I am happy to report that I did not witness any of that on Thanksgiving.
What I was able to witness was families together taking part in holiday shopping for family, friends and associates and themselves. There were no fights over televisions or video games, as is often portrayed on this day.
Customers never tried to run past each other in line to purchase their choices. And I can honestly say not one customer was rude to me or my co-workers. Many even took the time to thank us for working on this holiday and for being away from our families. I must say that meant a lot to hear that.
Some family members bond over sports. I know watching football, basketball and baseball has always been something I have enjoyed doing with my father and my brother. Some family members enjoy taking vacations together and some even enjoy the simplest of things such as cooking out or playing golf or hiking or camping.
Last Thursday I saw entire families, including multiple generations in some cases, walk into a store to begin (and perhaps finish) their shopping for the holidays. I saw every type of merchandise purchased and not one punch thrown.
The holidays can be stressful for any number of reasons but one couldn’t tell that on this late afternoon as the sun disappeared (way too early of course).
It had certainly been a hectic week leading up to this point, but it seems that work paid off based on the number of positive comments heard from customers.
The holidays are definitely upon us now. It’s hard to believe another Christmas is now less than a month away.
Doing things together as a family is vital for us as individuals and to society as a whole. What a refreshing sight it was to witness to see so many families together on this recent holiday.
It certainly could have been chaotic, simply due to the number of people taking part, but that’s not how it was, at least where I was at. It seems a dose of holiday cheer has reached us already and that is something we can always use.
As we approach Christmas and a new year, here’s hoping it is a special time for your family and for all of those close to you. Of course, with less than a month to go before this most special of holidays it will be here and gone in the blink of an eye.
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Winder resident Chris Bridges is a former editor of the Barrow News-Journal and has earned awards from the Georgia Press Association, the Georgia Sports Writers and the National Newspaper Association. He welcomes feedback from readers at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.

The Barrow County Board of Education probably will approve a 1.5 percent bonus for all employees at its Tuesday meeting.
The bonus will cost $1.3 million in the Barrow County School System’s general fund and $114,000 in other funds, such as school food nutrition.
Jennifer Houston, assistant superintendent for business services, told the board the budget probably includes enough money to pay for the bonus.
She said budgeting for teacher replacements each year is difficult and she does it conservatively — meaning the budget includes more money than is likely to be spent.
She said she believes the school system has saved enough money in hiring people to fill retiree or terminated positions. Board members had asked in the spring and early summer about providing more money to employees.
Lynn Stevens, board vice chair, said after some discussion and during a lull in conversation, “Is this the best we can do?”
Superintendent Chris McMichael repeated his mantra, “Our folks work hard and they deserve everything they get.”
If the average teacher salary is $50,000, the bonus would be $750.
Houston said if it is approved, the employees would get a check Jan. 11. The conditions include that the bonus is paid only on the base state teacher salary, it applies only to permanent employees and employees must be on the payroll Jan. 11 to qualify.

Several days, after it supposedly ended, the 2018 Georgia governor’s race came to a conclusion last Friday.
Democrat Stacey Abrams, who fell just short to Republican Brian Kemp, officially conceded. It was the right thing to do although it was clearly difficult for the historic candidate.
No amount of recounting or reviewing of the ballots was going to put Abrams over the top or even give her enough votes to get into a runoff or to win. The numbers simply were not there.
The strength of her campaign does probably mean Abrams could run again in the future for statewide office. However, to continue to pound the drum of a lost battle was not doing her or her future aspirations any good.
It remains to be seen what type of governor Kemp will be. He has held statewide elected office for a while so he has experience at that level. Being governor is not an easy job for any person and he will likely make some mistakes and almost certainly will do things to upset citizens, even those who supported and voted for him.
Political leanings aside, Kemp is someone who cares about our state. He would not deliberately try to fail in this most important role.
One thing is clear, however. Georgia, like most of our country, is very divided right now. The political bantering from both sides needs to cool off. We are all proud citizens of this state and we are proud citizens of our country. (Yes, I realize some are here illegally).
The statewide Democratic Party, which still has two chances in the upcoming runoff to break the Republican stranglehold, made some important strides in this most recent election. Whether that momentum continues in 2020 or 2022 remains to be seen.
Abrams ran a better-than-expected campaign and deserves credit for that. It was definitely time for it to come to an end, however. It is time for our state to move forward and realize we are all in this together and that is true whether we support the same political party or not.

WEEK OF THANKS
Many of us will take time to pass and reflect on the things and people important to us this week.
Thanksgiving, to me, has always been associated with fall and recent temperatures have shown us that summer is definitely behind us for another year.
I trust each of you has the time to spend with family and loved ones this Thanksgiving. Let’s remember those who work on this holiday (and all holidays) and will not be with their families.
The paramedics, policemen, firemen, 9-1-1 operators and, of course, those serving in the military are apart from their loved ones on special days like Thanksgiving.
The dedication of these men and women are something each of us should be thankful for every day of the year. With them performing their every day jobs I know we are all safer and each of us owes them a huge debt of gratitude.

A NEW YEAR APPROACHES
We still have more than a month to go in 2018, but many have already looked ahead to the new year. Each of us hope for positive things every day on the calendar but there has always been something significant about a new year beginning.
Here’s hoping each of you reading this can finish this year on a positive note. Thank you for reading from time to time and here’s hoping the road ahead will be good for everyone.
Happy Thanksgiving.
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Winder resident Chris Bridges is a former editor for the Barrow News-Journal. He has earned awards from the Georgia Press Association, the National Newspaper Association and the Georgia Sports Writers Association. He welcomes feedback about this column at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.

With two exceptions, the 2018 election has come to an end for our state.
There will be a runoff for secretary of state as no candidate managed to get the magical 50 percent plus one amount needed to avoid a runoff. Republican Brad Raffensperger tallied 49.20 percent while Democrat John Barrow finished with 48.57. The 2.23 percent earned by Libertarian Smythe DuVal contributed to this race going to a runoff.
A runoff for the District 3 Public Service Commissioner seat will also be held as incumbent Chuck Eaton received 49.81 percent to Democrat Lindy Miller’s 47.53. Libertarian Ryan Graham pulled 102,293 votes or 2.66 percent.
While all of the other statewide races were certainly competitive, all contests were once again won by Republicans. The safe money says Raffensperger will win the secretary of state contest but the turnout will be low. The same goes for Eaton in the PSC runoff despite critics who rightfully condemn him for accepting campaign contributions from utility companies which he helps oversee.
The governor’s race turned out to be every bit as competitive as polls indicated. Brian Kemp finished with 50.33 percent and was able to hold off Stacey Abrams who compiled 48.72 percent. Libertarian Ted Metz finished just below 1 percent.
As of this writing, Abrams was still looking at options to continue her quest, but at this point it is best in all ways for her to let it go. My advice to Abrams would be to begin her quest for the race in 2022. Continuing to fight a lost cause will only harm her if she wants to pursue future political office. The “sore loser” tag is often hard to shake and will certainly be brought up by future opponents she has.
It is amazing to see how close this race turned out to be. While the polls ended up fairly accurate, it would have not been surprising to have seen Kemp win with 55 percent or more. However, Georgia, like most of the country, has become evenly split almost right down the middle between political factions.
In the lieutenant governor’s race, Republican Geoff Duncan defeated Democrat Sarah Riggs Amico by a slim margin — 51.74 percent to 48.26.
It was a similar theme in all of the races in terms of the difference between Republican votes and Democratic votes.
The state attorney general’s race was also close with Republican Chris Carr (who was appointed to the position) winning by 51.41 to 48.59 percent over Democrat Charlie Bailey.
The interesting thing about this race was the fact Carr has never prosecuted a case in court. Bailey pointed this out during the campaign and actually gained the support of several law enforcement groups.
While I am not a lawyer or any type of legal scholar, it seems that the state’s attorney general should have at least worked inside a courtroom. However, most people probably didn’t even take this into consideration rather simply voting along party lines.
One of the “easier” wins for the Republican nominee came in the agriculture commissioner race. Incumbent Gary Black defeated challenger Fred Swann 53.19 percent to 46.81 percent. Black has been effective in the office and has done nothing to warrant being replaced.
Republican Jim Beck just squeaked by without a runoff in the insurance commissioner race. Beck finished with 50.48 percent to 46.88 percent for Democrat Janice Laws. Libertarian Donnie Foster polled 2.64 percent, receiving more than 100,000 votes.
Richard Woods won another term as state school superintendent, defeating Democratic challenger Otha Thornton with just over 53 percent of the vote.
In the other PSC race on the general election ballot, Republican incumbent Tricia Pridemore narrowly avoided a runoff with 50.36 percent to Democrat Dawn Randolph’s 47.12 percent. Libertarian John Turpish received 2.52 percent.
In the U.S. Representatives races, one of the bigger surprises was the win by Democrat Lucy McBath over Republican Karen Handel. It should be noted, however, that Handel has lost her share of political races, several of which came at the statewide level. She was victorious in one of the most crowded races to fill the seat but was not able to win re-election.
The statewide runoff for the two races which were not decided last week will be Dec. 4.
It would be tough under any circumstance for Democrats to win, but without the enthusiasm shown for the top of the ticket candidate, turnout will be an eye-catching low number. That probably goes for Republican voters as well.
However, both of these offices are important. One of the main duties for the secretary of state is to oversee the election process (there are numerous other duties) and the PSC has as much of an effect on our wallet as any elected statewide office.
My advice is to study the candidates in depth and look beyond party labels. Just because someone runs under a certain political party banner does not automatically make them the most qualified for the office.
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Winder resident Chris Bridges is a former editor of the Barrow News-Journal. He has earned awards from the Georgia Press Association and National Newspaper Association for column writing. He welcomes feedback about this column at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.

Furman Bisher would have turned 100 on Sunday if he were still with us.
The legendary Atlanta sportswriter was, in my opinion, the best at his craft. It was Bisher who inspired me to go into journalism following his address to my graduating high school class back in 1989.
He covered every big-time sporting event possible from Super Bowls to World Series to college football championship games to The Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and Kentucky Derby.
I certainly patterned my writing style after him although one of his columns was certainly worth a dozen or so of my feeble attempts and that is probably an understatement.
His annual Thanksgiving columns about what he valued in life, both serious and not-so-serious, were must reads for decades. Through the years I have written numerous “thankful” columns myself and while I have received a good deal of positive feedback about them, none have measured up to the columns written by the legendary Bisher.
At one point the Hall of Fame writer even compiled some of his favorite “thankful” items for a book. I felt fortunate when he signed it for me during a Georgia Sports Writers Association awards banquet a few years before his passing.
So, on this November day, I honor a journalism great and offer thanks for:
•The first areas of blue sky which return after an extended rain.
•A warm afternoon at the local high school baseball field with no rain, no clouds, no wind and no chill in the air.
•The high school parent who doesn’t think their son or daughter is the greatest athlete of all time and doesn’t feel the need to try to convince me that they are.
•The start of another political season but also when it comes to an end for another campaign.
•When I leave the dentist knowing I won’t have to return in a couple of weeks to have more work performed.
•The time when the phone rings and it is not a telemarketer or scam of some kind. “I am calling to let you know your computer needs fixing…..” at 7 in the morning is beyond maddening.
•The days during the winter when it is warm.
•A text from a friend.
•A movie made in 2018 that is not a remake of an old one.
•The old VH1 “Behind the Music” series.
•When the power doesn’t go out during a violent thunderstorm and the times it is quickly restored if it does go out.
•The political candidate who remembers at least some of their campaign promises once in office. We’ll see how those who won earlier this week do in this area.
•That a few of us still enjoy reading a newspaper the way it should be read: by turning the actual pages.
•The dawn of a new day and the potential that things could be better than the day or days before.
•The pothole in the road that I avoid driving through.
•The nail that doesn’t find its way into my tire.
•A recent pleasant fall Saturday afternoon with the sun bright overhead sitting outside with a special person just talking. I didn’t even miss the college football games that were airing at the time.
•A parent who takes the time to stop you and thank you for a kind word written about their child in the paper. Many times simply mentioning their name means a lot.
•Childhood friends who remain a friend today although we have long ago left our childhood years behind. For a variety of reasons true friendship is rare.
•The positive influence of having all four grandparents while growing up. Everyone should be as fortunate.
•A good movie that actually provides suspense and a good scare or two. I remember years ago watching Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” with a friend who had never seen it. My friend didn’t know the story line and actually screamed out loud at the end. Now that’s good film making.
•And finally, for growing up in small town America and for the lessons learned from doing so.
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Chris Bridges is a former editor of the Barrow News-Journal. He has earned awards from the Georgia Press Association, the National Newspaper Association and the Georgia Sports Writers Association. He welcomes feedback about this column at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.

With the 2018 general election now less than a week away, the hotly-contested governor’s race is close at hand.
An extremely high early voter turnout has this election on track to be a much higher than normal turnout rate.
It has been surprising to see how close this race has become. The strategy that helped Brian Kemp win an upset in the GOP primary has not allowed him to cruise to victory in the general election, at least according to pretty much all of the polls, which show the race either deadlocked or within a couple of points.
As I traveled from the northern part of our state recently into middle Georgia and then circled back on the return trip, it once again amazed me at how much territory the Peach State covers.
Along the way, I noticed signs for various statewide candidates seeking office in the 2018 general election. It also reminded me of how large and diverse of a state we have, something that we should all be proud of.
In order to be successful campaigning statewide in Georgia, one must be prepared to cover a great deal of territory and converse with a large citizenry. From the north Georgia mountains to the coast in Savannah and at Jekyll Island and St. Simons, it’s a daunting task to drive our state in one day. Even going from one end of our state to middle Georgia is no easy task, especially for those of us getting (and definitely feeling) older.
The diversity of our state is something that makes it such a great one. We have industry. We have a complex transportation system although I still don’t like driving in downtown Atlanta. We have numerous colleges and technical schools. We have a large agricultural base. We have a very large population of many races, cultures and political leanings.
Politically speaking, Georgia currently leans Republican but it is not as wide of a margin as it once was. While all statewide office holders are currently Republican, recent presidential elections have been relatively close when you go back and look at the numbers.
For decades it was Democrats who held the power in statewide politics. Truthfully, one side holding all the power is really never a good thing and is certainly not good for citizens.
It would take a pretty major political upset for a Democrat to win a statewide contest in 2018. However, Stacey Abrams is certainly within striking distance in the governor’s race, much to the delight of some and the stress of others.
Back to the task of campaigning in Georgia, even though, in theory, it should be easier to campaign in 2018 with items such as social media and YouTube, the best campaigning is still using shoe leather which means meeting voters in person. That means traveling to events whether they are in Carrollton, Valdosta, Rome, Brunswick, Macon, Columbus, Tifton or Moultrie.
Many candidates without big campaign budgets typically try to do more one-on-one campaigning. Stories of candidates putting many miles on their vehicles traveling the state are common. They also rely on the internet, a cheap way of spreading your political message.
Of course, it’s always beneficial to have a budget for advertising. The best mediums are television, radio and newspapers. Ads on internet sites are common in 2018 and many candidates still do direct mailers and the dreaded voice calls (if you want my vote do not call me asking for it.) A one-time statewide candidate used to place a printed ad in every weekly newspaper in the state since it was a great way to connect with older voters.
In the next few days the statewide candidates will be even more visible, whether in person or on television. Many have grown weary of the process but to me there’s something downright American about it. Now if we can just elect one or two candidates who actually follow through on their campaign promises. If so, that candidate would immediately jump to the front of my list.
As far as the governor’s race, the smart money still says Kemp will win. However, Abrams has run a better-than-expected race and anything is possible. Similar to what happens in sports, upsets do happen in political races as well.
Libertarian Ted Metz may have all the cards in this one. If he gains enough votes to force a runoff (which some pundits are predicting) then both candidates will try to get his supporters to join their side of the battle. It won’t be easy because many Libertarians I know who are voting for Metz have no use for Abrams or Kemp. Some have even said if there is a runoff they will simply not vote.
“I don’t vote for one bad choice over another,” one Libertarian said.
Tuesday night should be fun watching all the results counted. As usual, the entire campaign has been a fascinating thing to watch.
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Chris Bridges is a former editor for the Barrow News-Journal. He has earned awards from the Georgia Press Association, the National Newspaper Association and the Georgia Sports Writers Association. He welcomes feedback about this column at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.

Fall temperatures have finally arrived, and with them come a peace of mind which only happens this time of the year.
Summer held on longer than usual, but the arrival of fall eventually does happen each year. The cooler temperatures seem to give us a renewed sense of energy for everything in our lives.
Fall has always seemed an ideal time to pause and to be appreciative for what we have been blessed with in life. It’s human nature to focus on the negative when, in reality, we have plenty to be appreciative of. Thanksgiving is still a month away but we should never let the calendar dictate when we should give thanks.
With that in mind, I’m thankful today for:
•a supportive family which has always stood by me throughout my 47 years. This will always be at the top of any “thankful” list I compile.
•the comments from readers who enjoyed a column. I even appreciate the comments from those who said they disagreed. The great thing about our country is that we can disagree, even though it seems that is too often forgotten.
•firemen, paramedics and all emergency service workers.
•the fact that so many Georgians have rallied to help our neighbors in the southern part of the state following the most recent hurricane.
•college athletes who compete at one of the service academies.
You always have my highest level of respect. This past weekend we got to see wins on the football field by Army and Air Force.
•the enjoyment I still get from covering high school athletics and watching young people compete as a team.
•the times today when I get up out of the chair and my knees and back don’t ache too much.
•Saturday mornings this time of year at 9 a.m. when “College Football Gameday” airs for another week.
•the spring and summer seasons like this year when rain was enough to keep my yard looking nice.
•a peaceful evening watching a favorite television or movie as the sun begins to fade away for another day.
•the fact I have never lost one cent betting on any sporting event or even had the slightest desire to make a wager.
•the years when all college football programs had an actual printed media guide.
•the dreams we all have of just what we would do and might do if we won a billion-dollar lottery.
•the power of music or even one song which can magically transport you back in time.
•a worn-out pair of sneakers which still feel comfortable despite being very worn out.
•the sight of pumpkins, hay bales, fall flowers and other fall decorations as we continue into the month of October.
•a Sunday afternoon nap which have become very rare these days since I typically work in Sundays.
•the colors of fall when red, orange, yellow and brown seem to blaze as bright as the sun on a clear day.
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Winder resident Chris Bridges is a former editor of the Barrow News-Journal. He welcomes feedback about this column at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.

Early voting began this week and reports indicate the overall turnout for the 2018 general election in Georgia may be higher than usual.
The race driving the interest is clearly the governor’s contest, where a surprisingly close race has emerged. Republican Brian Kemp still has to be considered the favorite simply because of the current political makeup of Georgia.
Kemp, similar to anyone who happens to be the Republican nominee, should be able to win given the fact every statewide office holder in Georgia is a member of the GOP. However, it’s not always that simple.
Stacey Abrams has run a better-than-expected race and is actually within striking distance of Kemp.
The safe bet is that Kemp will still win but that it might be within three or four points, which would still be considered an accomplishment for a Democrat statewide.
Both candidates have their solid supporters and nothing either does will change the minds of those voters. It’s the small percentage of undecided and true independent voters (a much smaller group in 2018) that will make the difference.
Kemp has been effective at playing to his base with commercials about guns and trucks and such. Abrams has focused on other issues, obviously, but both have been effective in gaining support of those who may not normally care about the election.
None of the other statewide contests appear to be in doubt. The Republicans should win each of those offices from lieutenant governor and on down the ballot.
None of the Democrats in those races have the name, support or financial backing to really pose a serious threat.
If nothing else, it has been nice to see more people actually take an interest in statewide politics this year. There are still those who are asleep and couldn’t tell you there is an election in a couple of weeks. However, politics has become so divisive today that people actually care who wins. That can be taken as a positive if nothing else.
It is easier to vote in 2018 than it ever has been. Weeks of early voting are offered and people can still make their choices by absentee ballot or by going to their actual precinct on voting day. There is no excuse for voter turnout not to be high, but we all know that typically does not happen.
Here’s hoping that whoever is elected to office in 2018 statewide (for any office) will help cut taxes as the working people of Georgia still have way too much of their hard-earned money taken from them. Similar to across the country, our state always has a high veteran population and they deserve better care and respect than they have received.
It seems hard to believe but this year’s general election will actually be a springboard into the 2020 presidential campaign, which has the makings to be one of the craziest in history. Many people are still shocked that Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016 and this includes some Republicans as well.
Outside of Georgia, one race to watch on election night will be the U.S. Senate contest in Texas. Republican and former presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, similar to Kemp here in Georgia, is in a closer-than-expected race with Democrat Beto O’Rourke, a businessman and one-time El Paso council member. O’Rourke has run an effective race and while it is always difficult to unseat an incumbent senator the fact that the race is even competitive says something.
It should be an interesting election night watching returns. Similar to the football field, there are potentials for upsets in Georgia and elsewhere. It’s part of the reason politics is such a fun and fascinating thing to watch.
Regardless of which candidate you support or whatever political leanings you have, it is vital to exercise your right to vote. It’s part of the fabric that makes this country so great.
Being able to cast a vote for the candidate of our choice without fear of reprisal is something others around the world still long for.
We forget that at times.
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Winder resident Chris Bridges is a former editor of the Barrow News-Journal. You can send feedback about this column to pchrisbridges@gmail.com.